ATLANTA – Lakeside Baptist Church in Rocky Mount, N.C., a Cooperative Baptist Fellowship partner church, experienced tragedy Oct. 18 as two Meals on Wheels workers were stabbed in the church’s kitchen while they were preparing meals for that day’s delivery.

Debbie Kornegay, who directed the Rocky Mount Meals on Wheels program, died as result of her wounds, and assistant director Eve Beasley was hospitalized in critical condition, according to news reports. Investigators said robbery could have been the motive.

"Certainly this has shocked our entire community," said the church’s pastor Jody Wright in an Oct. 18 news conference at the church. "Why the suspect chose this place or these ladies is unclear. What remains is that two wonderful individuals who spent their time making certain that people in our community received a hot meal each day were senselessly attacked."

Wright said the church provides space for the Meals on Wheels program, which delivers hot meals to the community’s elderly and disabled. Neither woman was a member of the church, he said.

"Our prayers are offered to the families … and to our entire community," Wright said. "Rocky Mount is a close community. We stand by each other."

The church held a community-wide prayer service Oct. 19.

"Lakeside Baptist Church is a vital part of the CBF family," said CBF of North Carolina coordinator Larry Hovis. "The concern and prayers of the CBFNC family are extended to Lakeside Baptist Church and the surrounding community during this time of tragedy."

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.